Abstract: The records of the California Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) consist of fourteen cubic feet of textual, photographic,
and audiovisual records reflecting the Commission's research and recommendations specifically on women's issues within the
state. The records date from 1965-2010.

Physical location: California State Archives

Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English

Administrative Information

Access

While the majority of the records are open for research, any access restrictions are noted in the record series descriptions.

Publication Rights

For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication
is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility
for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives
collections.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Commission on the Status of Women Records, R214.[series number], [box and folder number], California
State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.

Acquisition and Custodial History

The California State Archives acquired the Commission on the Status of Women Records according to state law.

Administrative History

The California Advisory Commission on the Status of Women was established by Chapter 1378 (Statutes of 1965), for the purpose
of "developing recommendations which will enable women to make the maximum contribution to society." The recommendations
of this commission were due to the Governor by June 30, 1967. The 15 members of the Advisory Commission consisted of three
members of the Senate appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, three members of the Assembly appointed by the Speaker,
the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Chief of the Division of Industrial Relations, and seven public members appointed
by the Governor with the consent of the Senate. Chapter 854 (Statutes of 1967) extended the sunset date of the Commission
through June 1969. It also increased the membership to 17 commissioners, with the Senate Rules Committee and the Speaker
each appointing one public member in addition to their existing appointments. Chapter 721 (Statutes of 1969) again extended
the sunset date of the Commission, this time through June 1971. The Advisory Commission (1965-1971) was authorized to conduct
hearings, appoint an Advisory Committee of public members from a variety of backgrounds, encourage the development of local
commissions of a similar nature, and perform research in the pursuit of their final recommendations.

On August 11, 1971, Chapter 541 (Statutes of 1971) was signed by the Governor, making the Commission on the Status of Women
(CSW) a permanent agency. In addition to its existing duties, CSW was also mandated to "act as an information center on the
status of women's needs" and "develop and coordinate with [those] concerned with preventing problems brought about by the
changing roles of women, and [those who] develop programs to enable women to be fully contributing members of society." Chapter
1596 (Statutes of 1984) created the Displaced Homemaker Emergency Loan Act (DHELA), a pilot loan program administered by CSW
until 1998 (extended by Chapter 1385, Statutes of 1985, and Chapter 488, Statutes of 1995).

Neither the Advisory Commission nor CSW had any distinct organizational programs until 1981, when the work of CSW was divided
into Research and Information Services, Legislative Liaison, and Administration. These divisions remained unchanged until
1985 when the Comparable Worth Task Force and the DHELA programs were added. In 1987, the Task Force was ended, the first
three program areas were condensed into one, and DHELA was retained as a separate program. In 1999, DHELA was ended and,
as of 2012, CSW remains a single multi-functional program of Administration-Legislation-Research and Information Services.

Over the course of its lengthy history, the Commission has formed many committees, including the following: Advisory, Child
Care, Child Support/Custody, Community Involvement, Criminal Justice, Education, Employment, Executive, Health, Homemaker,
Marital Property, and Public Information. Notable task forces include those on Minority Women and Comparable Worth.

As the only state agency to exclusively focus on the needs and concerns of females of all ages and backgrounds, the Commission
on the Status of Women holds a noteworthy place in the history of California. Their records reflect the diverse and complex
topics that impact women in this state while chronicling the ever-changing nature of legislative attitudes surrounding those
topics. Many series within the record group document the day-to-day activities of the Commission and its staff, such as the
Meeting Files, Meeting Minutes, Business Meeting Files, Chronological Correspondence, Staff Files, and Subject Files. Other
record series directly expose the Commission's presence in the middle of national debates and social movements to better the
lives of women. These series include the Transcripts, Hearing Files, Commission Publications, Publications, Reports to the
Legislature, Newsletters, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Files, and the Publicity Files.

Accruals

Further accruals are expected.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.